1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic ticket checking apparatus that is installed in railway traffic stations, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automatic ticket checking apparatus is installed in railway traffic stations in recent years. This automatic ticket checking apparatus receives a magnetic ticket that is inserted into the apparatus by a user, reads magnetic information recorded thereon and checks if the user is allowable to pass through the gate or not (the entrance into the station yard or exit to the outside therefrom). If the automatic ticket checking apparatus judges that a user is not allowable to pass the gate, a door provided to the apparatus is closed to block a user to pass through the gate. Further, cautions and other guidance may be displayed on a display panel or output (announced) from a speaker.
Such an automatic ticket checking apparatus is capable of processing tickets in various sizes including ordinary size and commutation ticket size. For example, short distance tickets that are effective only for one day (a normal size), a commutation ticket (commutation ticket size) and SF (Stored Fare) card (commutation ticket size) can be processed. For this purpose, a ticket conveying mechanism in an automatic ticket checking apparatus for conveying tickets is equipped with an aligning mechanism to adapt to tickets in various sizes. In addition, the automatic ticket checking apparatus is capable of collectively process a plurality of tickets. For example, it is able to process commutation tickets and SF cards collectively. For this purpose, a ticket holding mechanism is provided to the ticket conveying mechanism in the automatic ticket checking apparatus to adapt to a plurality of tickets.
Further, when a passage that is formed along the automatic ticket checking apparatus is used commonly as a ticket checking passage as well as a ticket collection passage, two units of the automatic ticket checking apparatus are normally installed in a set as a boundary of passages. These two units of the automatic ticket checking apparatus are installed so that a ticket take-out port provided at one of two units comes to a ticket insert port side provided at the other unit. And the ticket insert port provided at one of two units comes to the ticket take-out port side of the other unit.
Further, this automatic ticket checking apparatus is also provided with a wireless communication function in addition to the magnetic ticket processing function; that is, by wireless communicating with an IC card type ticket that is capable of wireless communication, reads using information therefrom likewise the magnetic ticket and judges whether the passing of a user carrying a wireless ticket is allowable or not.
As described above, the conveying mechanism of an existing automatic ticket checking apparatus is provided with an aligning mechanism for processing various size tickets and further, provided with a ticket holding mechanism for collectively processing a plurality of tickets. As a result, the conveying mechanism becomes long and there was such a problem that the entire automatic ticket checking apparatus becomes long. In other words, to cope with tickets in various sizes and process a plurality of tickets collectively, it was difficult to make an automatic ticket checking apparatus small in size.
Further, because the passage for the ticket checking is also used for the ticket collection as described above, there was such a problem that when two units of automatic tick t checking apparatus are installed in a set as the passage boundary, two units are to be installed between the passages (two units are installed at the passage boundary), and an occupation rate of automatic ticket checking apparatus at the ticket checking corner increased.
Further, when the automatic ticket checking apparatus was operated to adapt to both of magnetic and wireless tickets, there was such a problem that the automatic ticket checking apparatus is not able to make the fare adjustment of these tickets in combination.